Paccar and Platform Science announced a new collaboration to integrate Platform Science's Virtual Vehicle in Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks. Virtual Vehicle is an open OEM platform that enables fleets to access telematics, software solutions, real-time vehicle data, and third-party digital applications directly from their vehicles.

"TruckTech+ has built a great foundation for the Kenworth connected vehicle since 2017,” said Kevin Baney, Kenworth general manager and Paccar vice president in a statement. "Through this partnership Kenworth will expand its telematics system to provide customers with third party applications through the Virtual Vehicle platform.”

The Virtual Vehicle platform offers solutions to fleets including:

• Factory-installed telematics hardware so fleets can maximize uptime by avoiding installation delays and costs for complementary hardware.

• A software experience catered to individual business needs through a growing pipeline of developer-created innovations.

• Virtual Vehicle leverages edge, cloud, and in-dash data to optimize networks, keeping data available 24/7/365, including when fleets are offline.

• Users of participating applications on Virtual Vehicle benefit from usage-based billing.

 "The new services powered by Virtual Vehicle will leverage the existing connectivity capabilities of our heavy- and medium-duty truck platforms," added Bart Lore, senior director of Paccar Global Connected Services. "Thanks to the new app ecosystem, Peterbilt vehicles will take a quantum leap in terms of uptime and integration to existing fleet management solutions."

The new suite of services will launch in 2024 for Kenworth’s Class 8 T680, T880 and W990 models and medium duty T180, T280, T380 and T480 models.